[This weekly feature is a snapshot of what the Stranger Dance staff can't get out of our collective head each week. On any given week, we might be digging a new local act, an old jazz chestnut, the newest Japanese electro-folk or whatever else we've got on the turntable/iPod that week.]

Scooter: The Jackson Sisters – “I Believe in Miracles”

I’m still reeling from the election. Over the past several days, I’ve felt a sense of community and optimism that I have never experienced in my lifetime. In celebration of the dawning of a new era in American history, my pick for this week is the 1976 rare groove classic, “I Believe In Miracles” by The Jackson Sisters (no, not those Jackson sisters).

I first heard this on a mix that a DJ friend of mine put together and it’s been my anthem over the last couple of days. It’s got a great Issac Hayes style intro and an even better message: “I believe in miracles, don’t you!?”

Uncle Corey: Pearl Jam – “Given to Fly”

I’m really barging headlong into Scooter’s territory with this week’s pick. He’s the resident Pearl Jam-o-phile, but, damn it, I’ve been listening to them longer… Which just means I’m old. Anyway, like all people my age who grew up in Seattle, I was a huge Pearl Jam fan after Ten and Vs. – in fact Vs. may be in my top 10 albums of all time – but I kind of fell off the wagon in the late ’90s. This means I never really paid much attention to Yield, which, as it turns out, is a fantastic album. “Given to Fly” might not be the best song on album, but it’s really Pearl Jam doing what they do best – soaring rock anthems.

Everything in this song is great: the imagery of the lyrics, the crescendoing chorus, Eddie Vedder’s vocals. This is a very easy song to love.

Stranger Jay: Jason Isbell – “Dress Blues”

After six years as one third of the song-writing troika behind the brilliant Drive-By Truckers, Isbell broke out on his own last year with his remarkable solo debut Sirens of the Ditch. “Dress Blues” is a great example of Isbell’s sound – deep Southern roots (peddle steel, twang and all), but unmistakably rock. It also shows off his lyrical gifts – “Dress Blues” shows equal parts sadness and anger, and could easily become polemic, but Isbell goes the way of the great songwriters and leaves it up to the listener to decide.

Vague Panther: Koushik – “Out My Window”

It would have been easy to forget about the release of Koushik’s “Out My Window.” Why? Oh yeah, it’s on THAT label. The one that quietly puts out one solid release after another without ever getting the recognition they deserve. Yes, I’m talking about Stones Throw AGAIN. But seriously, this album is incredible. It’s so fresh, so dreamy that it goes perfectly with your afternoon White Russian. Stones Throw, if you’re reading this, do you have any job openings? I’ll work for free.